Overview

The CIHT South West Emerging Professionals Group invites emerging professionals from across the region to join us at our Summer Hackathon 2026, exploring the following theme:

Transport as an Enabler: Local Challenges, Regional Solutions, and National Patterns

This Hackathon will explore the wider role that transport plays in enabling opportunity, safety, health, social inclusion and development within our communities. Participants will work collaboratively to examine localised and regional transport challenges that exist across the South West and identify practical, innovative solutions to overcome these challenges.

Working collaboratively in teams, participants will:

Stage 1 - Your Area

• Selection a location within the South West - this could be a town, city, village or rural area
• Develop a short characterisation of the area's transport and community context

Stage 2 - Your Local Challenges 

• Explore and tie this in to one of the five conference themes:

1. Connectivity 
2. Safety
3. Health 
4. Social Inclusion 
5. Progression

• Identify the key transport challenge affecting your chosen area
• Consider who is affected and how

Stage 3 - Regional Solution 

• Develop ambitious yet practical transport interventions, policies or initiatives that could address the challenge
• Consider the benefits, potential impacts and deliverability of the proposed solutions 
• Explore how existing projects and lessons from the South West could contribute to wider national discussions

The outcomes of the Hackathon will be summarised and presented by a South West representative at the CIHT Emerging Professionals Conference on 8 September 2026, alongside contributions from other CIHT regions across the UK

Who is this event for? 

This event is open to emerging professionals, graduates, apprentices, students and early-career practitioners with an interest in highways, transportation and infrastructure. Whether you work in consultancy, local government, contracting, academia or are just beginning your career, this is an opportunity to collaborate with peers, share ideas and contribute to discussions on the future of transport.

Take action: Record your CPD

CPD is defined as any activity that provides new knowledge or skills that help you to achieve your professional development goals or has otherwise helped you to develop as a highways and transportation professional

Plan, record and manage your CPD for free at CIHT Learn.

Need help with getting the most out of your CPD access CIHT’s CPD Guidance here.

Accessibility and Inclusion, Help & Support

We are working to ensure that the event is as comfortable and inclusive as possible.

You can contact us in confidence to ask questions and/or to let us know of any accessibility requirements or adjustments that you may have: regions@ciht.org.uk